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Inter-Region Movement

Inter-region movement is how fleets travel from one region to another. It is distinct from movement inside a region and governed by a separate set of rules.

Purpose

Regions are not open water. A fleet cannot cross from one region into another simply by reaching the edge of the local map. All movement between regions passes through defined gateway connections — the only sanctioned routes between named areas of the galaxy.

This creates strategic geography at the galaxy scale: regions have identifiable entrances and exits, and controlling those chokepoints has real consequences for trade, invasion, and defense.

Player Value

Inter-region movement gives large-scale strategy its shape. A player who understands the gateway network of the galaxy can:

  • identify which regions are easy to approach and which are well-insulated
  • find the shortest or safest multi-region route to a destination
  • recognize which gateway systems are worth fortifying, contesting, or blockading
  • plan logistics and supply lines that span multiple regions

The gateway network is effectively the political and military map of the galaxy.

How Gateways Work

A gateway is an orbital system that has a directional connection to a specific orbital system in a neighboring region. Both ends of the connection are named systems on their respective local region maps.

To move from one region to another, a fleet must:

  1. Navigate to the gateway system within the current region.
  2. Pass through the gateway connection.
  3. Arrive at the connected system in the neighboring region.

There is no movement across region boundaries outside of this process.

Rules

  • Inter-region travel requires using a gateway system. Region edges cannot be crossed freely.
  • Each gateway connection links a specific system in one region to a specific system in another.
  • A region may have one or more gateway connections to other regions.
  • A region with no gateways is isolated and unreachable through normal movement.
  • Two regions may appear adjacent on the galaxy map without having a direct gateway link. Visual proximity does not imply a route.
  • A fleet travelling between two non-adjacent regions must pass through any intermediate regions along the route, entering and exiting each through their respective gateways.

Route Planning

When a fleet needs to travel across multiple regions, movement happens in two stages.

Stage 1 — region path: Identify the sequence of regions to pass through between origin and destination. This is the macro-level route across the galaxy.

Stage 2 — local path: Within each region along that sequence, navigate from the arrival gateway to the departure gateway (or to the final destination in the last region).

For example, a fleet moving from Orion March to Red Expanse via Helios Reach would:

  1. Navigate to the Helios Reach gateway in Orion March.
  2. Pass through into Helios Reach and navigate across it to its Red Expanse gateway.
  3. Pass through into Red Expanse and navigate to the final destination.

This two-stage structure means the safety and accessibility of intermediate regions matters. A hostile blockade in Helios Reach can cut the route entirely.

Strategic Significance of Gateways

Dead ends and hubs

A region with one gateway is a dead end — its single gateway is both the only entrance and the only exit. Holding that system means holding the region.

A region with many gateways is a hub — difficult to seal off but easier for all parties to access. Hub regions tend to become contested transit zones.

Chokepoints

Gateway systems are natural chokepoints. A defending force can concentrate at a single system to control all movement in or out of a region. An attacker that cannot take or circumvent that system cannot enter.

Blockades

A fleet positioned at a gateway system can deny passage to enemy fleets. This makes gateway systems the primary target in any effort to isolate a region or cut off a supply line.

Constraints

  • Players cannot create, modify, or remove gateway connections.
  • The gateway network is defined at world setup time and does not change through normal gameplay.
  • Fleet movement rules — travel time, fuel cost, combat during transit — are defined in a separate feature.
  • Sovereignty over a gateway system does not automatically grant or revoke passage rights. Access control mechanics are defined in a separate feature.